Caleb Hubble
Mr. Shupp
English 9
12/8/10
Dante’s Current Influence
Have you ever heard of Shakespeare, Conrad, Robert Frost, or the new game Dante’s Inferno? Unless you’ve lived under a rock for the past seven hundred forty five years, you have probably heard of something influenced by Dante Alighieri.
Even though not many people have directly felt his influence, Dante’s influence is still felt today in many media outlets because there is a video game about his poem and even the names of the families from Romeo and Juliet first came from book two of The Divine Comedy, the most obscure of the three
.
Dante’s influence is still felt today in many media outlets. I assert this because of the many items in the world around us that have to do with his works. Take just the first of his epic poems, Inferno, and search for things influenced by it. Just one poem has spawned everything from movies to video games to ,even action figures. It has also inspired works such as Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and Robert Frost’s “Fire and Ice.”
While Inferno was also made into a movie, it is uncommon for a poem to be made into a video game. Also when a work of literature is made into a video game, it is completely different from the text. The poem is closely represented by the game in some parts. For example, there are the shades and souls of the damned who died due to lust whirling around in a storm. But unlike the poem, Cleopatra is the queen of those trapped in the second circle of hell, Lust. In the poem, Cleopatra is just another damned soul; this deviation shows that while the game is mostly like the poem, there are obvious discrepancies. However the game has to be entertaining to play and the fact that the poem is closely copied by the game show the sheer impact that an epic poem, kicking around in the cultural pool, for over seven hundred years has.
The most important reason Dante influence is still felt today in many media outlets is because of his influence on Shakespeare. One clearly defined example of this is that the names of Shakespeare’s famed “Montague” and “Capulet” families come directly from Dante’s second epic, Pugatorio. In In Italian they are the Montecchi and Capelletti Families. Shakespeare's writing has fathered many stories and movies over the years. For example, "10 Things I Hate About You" is a much more modern example of Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew. The many who claim to have never directly felt Dante’s influence are right. It’s much more likely that they felt his influence through a movie video game or even another book.
In conclusion, although not many people have directly felt his influence, Dante influence is still felt today in many media outlets for two main reasons. First, the names of the families from Romeo and Juliet first came from book two of "The Divine Comedy". But most importantly, his poem has been followed, copied, edited and injected into pop culture for the past seven hundred forty five years. Dante is one of the single most influential authors of all time. But this guy only influenced Shakespeare, so what?
What I'm proving: That Dante was an extremely influential author
Notes:
Sources:
Caleb Hubble
Mr. Shupp
English 9
12/8/10
Dante’s Current Influence
Have you ever heard of Shakespeare, Conrad, Robert Frost, or the new game Dante’s Inferno? Unless you’ve lived under a rock for the past seven hundred forty five years, you have probably heard of something influenced by Dante Alighieri.
Even though not many people have directly felt his influence, Dante’s influence is still felt today in many media outlets because there is a video game about his poem and even the names of the families from Romeo and Juliet first came from book two of The Divine Comedy, the most obscure of the three
.
Dante’s influence is still felt today in many media outlets. I assert this because of the many items in the world around us that have to do with his works. Take just the first of his epic poems, Inferno, and search for things influenced by it. Just one poem has spawned everything from movies to video games to ,even action figures. It has also inspired works such as Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and Robert Frost’s “Fire and Ice.”
While Inferno was also made into a movie, it is uncommon for a poem to be made into a video game. Also when a work of literature is made into a video game, it is completely different from the text. The poem is closely represented by the game in some parts. For example, there are the shades and souls of the damned who died due to lust whirling around in a storm. But unlike the poem, Cleopatra is the queen of those trapped in the second circle of hell, Lust. In the poem, Cleopatra is just another damned soul; this deviation shows that while the game is mostly like the poem, there are obvious discrepancies. However the game has to be entertaining to play and the fact that the poem is closely copied by the game show the sheer impact that an epic poem, kicking around in the cultural pool, for over seven hundred years has.
The most important reason Dante influence is still felt today in many media outlets is because of his influence on Shakespeare. One clearly defined example of this is that the names of Shakespeare’s famed “Montague” and “Capulet” families come directly from Dante’s second epic, Pugatorio. In In Italian they are the Montecchi and Capelletti Families. Shakespeare's writing has fathered many stories and movies over the years. For example, "10 Things I Hate About You" is a much more modern example of Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew. The many who claim to have never directly felt Dante’s influence are right. It’s much more likely that they felt his influence through a movie video game or even another book.
In conclusion, although not many people have directly felt his influence, Dante influence is still felt today in many media outlets for two main reasons. First, the names of the families from Romeo and Juliet first came from book two of "The Divine Comedy". But most importantly, his poem has been followed, copied, edited and injected into pop culture for the past seven hundred forty five years. Dante is one of the single most influential authors of all time. But this guy only influenced Shakespeare, so what?